The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-10-26

A prize of $4,000 will be awarded
soon by the French Government for the
most valuable discovery relating to the
utilization of electricity.
"Crushed bamboo" is coming into use
as O paper-making material, and is stated
to be already employed with the most
satisfactory results in the paper supplied
to several London dailics.
The Freshwater Alge of the United
States comprise about thirteen hundred
species. The whole of these have re-
Gently been described and beautifully
illustrated in two volumes, by the Rev.
Francis Walle, of Bethlehem, Penn.
DR.. Murray. of the Royal Society OF
Edinburgh, estimates the mean height
of the land of the globe to be between
1000 and 2, 100 feet, the latter limit be-
ing probably the more nearly correct:
Humboldt's estimate of the mean height
of the continents was one thousand 1eet.
"Artifcial precious stones have become
an important article of trade" says the
Scieutifc american. "The products of
some of the shops would almost deceive
an eypert, but the test of hardness is still
infallible. The beautiful " French paste, !"
from which imitation diamonds are made,
is a kind of glass with mixture of oxide
of lead. The more of the latter the
brighter the stone, but also the softer,
and this is a serious defect"
The Sierra Nevada Range might be
called continuation of the Cascade Noun
tains; but those are of volcanic origin,
and the Sierra Nevadas are granite, though
traces of volcanic action arc often found
on the f1anks and base. 1t commences at
Mount Shasta, IA, 400 feet high, and runs
in southerly direction to Te;on Pass,
where it Joins the Coast Range not far
from Mount Whitney, the highest noun
tain in the United States south OF Alaska.
There are but few passes over these noun
tains, and the Pacific slope is very steep,
the Central Pacific road descending 6,3oo
feet in eighty miles.
The material for baskets used by the
Penobscot Indians, according to MT.
Walter Dcane, in the Botanical Gazette, IS
the holy grass, which they know as
"sweet grass" Strange to say, they
seem TO nave no udulc Ill IhSA "" toA~o
for it. Mr.. D. found the leaves, in the
fall of the year, were about three feet
long, and when dry twisted so as to ap-
near like fine thread. These leaves push
up from another part of the root stock
from that which bears the culm, and
hence appear to have been overlooked by
botanists. A common name for the plant
in seedstorcs and gardens is vanilla
grass, from its delightful fragrance IN
dying.
DR.. Frantzel, OF Berlin, reporting upon
the effects of immoderate smoking upon
the heart, says that smoking, as rule,
agrees with persons for many years,
although by degrees cigars of finer flavor
are chosen. But all at once, without any
assienable cause, troubles are experienced
with the heart, which compel the calling
in of the DOCTOR Common cigars are NOT
so liable to produce these effects as the
finer favored ones. Nor can the charge
be laid upon cigarettes, although they
produce evils of their own. The troubles
seldom begin till after the smoker Is over
thirty years of age, and most usually
attack him at between fifty anu siNty.
While it has not been determined What
it is that makes smoking injurious, II ap-
pears certain that the effect does not ae-
| pend upon the amount OF nlcotlne.